Deli Horsemen

Deli Horsemen were irregular cavalrymen employed by the Ottoman Empire after the late 18th century. The Deli horsemen were recruited from many peoples and had an ethos of personal (rather than collective) bravery, wearing black felt hats and bringing curved scimitar swords into battle with them. The Deli Horsemen were also known for stealing or picking up weapons while they were in battle, as they were irregulars; they did not even have a standard uniform.